An Arleigh Burke-class destroyer is christened at Bath Iron Works on Aug. 1, 2009. Robert F. Bukaty / AP file photo
More destroyers and a long-sought-after parking garage could be in the works for Bath Iron Works with the passage of the new federal defense bill this week.
The Senate approved the $886 billion National Defense Authorization Act Wednesday and the House passed it Thursday. President Joe Biden is now expected to sign it into law. All four members of Maine’s congressional delegation voted for the bill.
The spending plan is a 3.2% increase over last year’s version and includes a 5.2% raise for members of the armed forces, the highest pay hike in 22 years. Lawmakers cited the war in Ukraine, the Israel-Hamas war and China’s growing navy as reasons to increase defense spending.
The bill includes $4.2 billion for two Arleigh Burke-class destroyers in fiscal year 2024; one of the ships will be built at Bath Iron Works, according to Rep. Jared Golden.
“I’m proud to have pushed for a bipartisan bill that focuses on keeping our country secure, providing for those in uniform who protect us and ensuring consistent work for our skilled shipbuilding workforce,” Golden said in statement. “I believe in providing our servicemembers the tools they need and the pay they deserve to defend this nation.”
The bill also includes a $780 million investment for the purchase of a third destroyer in the 2025 fiscal year. BIW and Ingalls Shipbuilding of Mississippi, the only shipyards that Arleigh Burkes, compete with each other for contracts.
Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October, several Bath-built destroyers patrolling the Red Sea in the Middle East have shot down missiles and drones and responded to attacks on shipping vessels launched by Hamas-supporting Houthi forces in Yemen. Sen. Susan Collins highlighted those engagements, as well as recent attacks on U.S. military facilities in Iraq and Syria, as reasons to invest in the ships.
“The capabilities of these ships and the professionalism and expertise of the sailors who serve aboard them have been on full display as they have downed numerous drones and missiles headed toward them and aimed also at Israel,” she said in a recent Senate address. “Our fleet is essential to protect those service members and bases as well as Israel.”
Sen. Angus King said funding in the bill to build BIW’s first parking garage would be a major quality-of-life improvement for the shipyard’s roughly 6,700 workers. BIW currently uses a collection of surface lots with about 1,600 parking spaces. The parking situation in Bath has long caused tension in neighborhoods surrounding the shipyard.
“A parking lot doesn’t sound like national defense but it’s maintaining the industrial base,” he said in a news conference. “We need to keep people in these critically important jobs, and we’re competing with businesses all over the country for these kind of skilled people: welders, steelworkers, pipefitters — incredibly talented and valuable workers.
“Making their workplace more user-friendly is an important part of maintaining the viability of these facilities. … It’s a case study of how an ancillary expenditure can be an important part of maintaining an essential part of our defense infrastructure.”
The bill also includes funding for BIW and Ingalls Shipbuilding to design the next-generation DDG(X) destroyer.
“These expenditures turn into jobs,” King said. “This is a very important bill for the country but also very important to Maine.”
The bill includes about $3.6 billion in defense expenditures for Maine, according to King.
The House passed the bill by a vote of 310 to 118, more than the two-thirds majority required.
“This is a strong — and importantly, bipartisan — package that supports our service members, veterans and their families, invests in workers, and reaffirms our commitment to our partners and allies abroad,” Rep. Chellie Pingree said in a statement. “By authorizing Bath-built Arleigh Burke destroyers and supporting (Portsmouth Naval Shipyard) modernization efforts, the NDAA will sustain good-paying jobs, supporting Maine’s local workforce and economy now and into the future.”
Though the bill authorizes spending measures, lawmakers must still appropriate the funds.
Twelve destroyers are currently in the works at BIW.
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